There was a time not so long ago when it was impossible to eat a politically-correct orange. Spanish oranges were handpicked by Franco, American fruit by brutalised Mexicans or Tom Joad in person, and nothing was more out than Outspan.

Now that Austria has taken over the role of World Leper from South Africa, skiing has gone the way of the orange. The reason for all this soul searching is that we had a skiing holiday booked in Austria, and well before Jörg Haider made the headlines.

Confused, we looked to our betters to give us a moral lead. On the one hand, the Belgian foreign minister (name's on the tip of my tongue) said no one should ski in Austria, probably not even the Austrians. On the other hand, Barbara Amiel took a whole page of the Daily Telegraph to explain why the then leader of the right-wing Freedom Party was so misunderstood, poor chap.

Comforted by Ms Amiel's cogent argument, we went ahead with our planned trip. Our chosen resort was Schladming and though we'd booked our Go flights months ago (of which more later) we found accommodation hard to come by.

Thanks to an Austrian friend who speaks fluent internet, we finished up staying at the Landauer hotel, and very nice it was. This pleasant family-run hotel is in Untertal, just outside Schladming, and with a great view of the valley.

We were lucky enough to get a large, comfortable family room in the Landauer's newly-built extension, which blended seamlessly in style with the older building. The extension boasts a lavishly-equipped fitness-centre with solarium and sauna, but as I had forgotten to bring my flip-flops (de rigueur for both sauna and evening wear) I cannot say whether my fellow guests looked any more attractive with their clothes off.

The skiing, I am told by those who ski, is excellent. We took a trip to the top of the Planai, (1,894m) which meant getting crushed by a packed and hellish throng of stone-faced skiers clattering their way into the gondolas.

The resort also attracts a raucous crowd. To see them in full song, head for Onkel Willi's Hütte, a goldmine disguised as a ski emporium. Inside, you can't breathe; outside, you can't hear. Loudspeakers thump out unremitting Austro-Bavarian popular music at a volume that carries more avalanche-potential than an army of off-piste snowboarders. Big this year is a song about zehn nackte friseusen, or 10 naked hairdressers, with lyrics laden with double entendres.

Non-skiers are in luck. Schladming has a stunning toboggan run, from the top of the Hochwurzen (1,850m) down a spectacular 7km run into the valley. When you are taking the lift, splash out on a Swatch Access.

This does away with the need for those naff bits of fiddly card on a bit of elastic you struggle to poke into a slot. Instead, your snazzy Swatch is computer-loaded with however many days of lift pass you want. Then you simply wave it airily at the gates and they open. The Swatch costs around £30, and you can use it all over the world.

As I mentioned, we flew Go from Stansted to Munich, which cost us £85 a head as we travelled out on a Thursday and returned on a Monday. At weekends they hike the price; at half-term they hike the price. But it's still much cheaper than conventional flights.

But you may need the money you save to buy a new set of luggage. When my cases arrived in Munich the costly metal Zero Halliburton was bandaged together with ServiceAir tape, and had a wheel missing. My Samsonite was no better.

I duly faxed Go the details, and they replied offering £144.50, based on something called Special Drawing Rights, and a message that "we calculate the applicable weight of the missing items to be 10 kg" - interesting, as I don't remember them picking them up. On an easyJet flight to Nice I had a case smashed on the way back. easyJet didn't quote me any Special Drawing Rights. They sent me a new case. Go or easyJet? My case rests.

The practicals

Rent a car with Budget (0845 6060608) when you fly Go and you'll receive a special rate. Show your Go itinerary when buying train and caoch tickets between London and Stansted and you'll be rewarded with a discount. Holiday details from the Austrian Touist Office on 020 7629 0461. Gasthof-Restaurant Landauer, tel 0043 3687 61166. The Bussmanns paid £67 a day for the apartment, plus £3 for their six year old. Their three year old was free. Half board (terrific value) was £11 per dault per day.